As the early access launch of Dark and Dark proceeds, Ironmace has previously acknowledged that the role-playing game will have microtransactions and that it is implementing a number of improvements to address stuttering problems. As it moves closer to the complete release of Dark and Darker, the company now claims that it is incorporating a contentious feature featured in other seasonal games like Diablo 4, Rust, and Escape from Tarkov. Your Dark and Darker characters might not be around indefinitely if you’ve spent time developing and perfecting them.
Ironmace has confirmed already that Dark and Darker will “realistically” have to include microtransactions. Now the developer says it will introduce seasonal character wipes, and offers a potential time frame for how long each season will run. As part of a recent Q and A, the developer is asked “are wipes planned?” The response may be frustrating for players who prefer to keep their character builds long-term.
“Yes, there will be wipes at the start of each season and preseason,” Ironmace says. “There will not be a wipe when the leaderboard opens on [Monday] August 13 [and Tuesday, August] 14. We implemented the countdown because we foresaw bumps during the first week of the launch and wanted to get most of the game-breaking bugs fixed before everyone started to compete for the rankings.
“Our current thinking is to have three-month seasons,” the developer continues, “but this may change as we collect more data. We have not finalized this decision yet.”
Ironmace also discusses the game’s potential return to Steam, after it was delisted among a lawsuit with publishing Nexon. As part of the Q and A, Ironmace is asked whether players who already own Dark and Darker will need to purchase it again if it launches on Valve’s platform and they want to access it there as well.
“We do not know,” Ironmace says. “We do hope to get back on Steam in the future and we will be better prepared to answer this question at that time. However, we will do everything possible to have the player pool shared between the PC platforms, like they are currently between Chafgames and Blacksmith users.”
With seasonal wipes in the way, you should familiarize yourself with all the Dark and Darker classes, so you can make the best choice for your next build. Alternatively, try some of the other best multiplayer games currently available on PC.